Cancer of the Digestive System

V Care Foundation is a voluntary support group dedicated providing free help, hope, awareness & education to cancer patients & their families through outreach programs & services that improve the quality of their lives.

V-Care has prepared this booklet to help patients & their families understand & deal with cancer &its related conditions. We believe this will help the patient & the family faces the disease together to get in touch with us for any help.
What is Digestive System Cancer?

Cancer that occurs in any part of the digestive system. The digestive system involves the tube from the mouth to the rectum as well as various organs that are connected to this tube such as the liver, gall bladder, and pancreas.

Cancer of the organs of the digestive system is solid, slow growing tumors. Unfortunately, many are not discovered until they have invaded adjacent structures of the body. At present time, the only gastrointestinal tumor amenable to screening is cancer of the colon. Beginning at age 50, you should have a fecal occult blood test every year and a flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years.

To understand these cancers, we will have to deal with each other one separately.

Anal Cancer:

Cancer that forms in tissues of the anus. The anus is the opening of the rectum to the outside of the body.

Appendix Cancer:

A slow-growing cancer that forms in cells that make hormones in the lining of the stomach and intestines. It usually occurs in the appendix, small intestines, or rectum. Having gastrointestinal caracinoid tumor increase the risk of forming other cancer of the digestive system.

Bile Duct Cancer:

A rare cancer that forms in the part of the bile duct that is outside the liver. The bile duct is the tube that collects bile from the liver and joins a duct from the gallbladder to form the common bile duct, while carries bile into the small intestine when food is being digested.

Caracinoid tumor, Gastrointestinal:

Normally, a slow –growing cancer that forms in cells that make hormones in the lining of the gastrointestinal tract. It usually occurs in the appendix, small intestine, or rectum. Having gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor increase the risk of forming other cancers of the digestive system.

Colon cancer:

Cancer that forms in the tissue of the colon. Most colon cancer is adenocarcinomas.

Cancer that forms in tissue of the gallbladder. The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ below the liver that collects and store bile. Gall bladder cancer begins in the innermost layer of tissue and spreads through the outer layers as it grows.

Liver Cancer:

Primary liver cancer is cancer hat forms in the tissues of the liver. Secondary liver cancer that spreads to the liver form another part of the body.

Pancreatic Cancer:

A disease in which malignant cells are found in the tissues of the pancreas. Also called exocrine cancer.

Rectal Cancer:

Cancer that forms in the tissue of the rectum ( the last serial inches of the large intestine before the anus)

Small Intestine Cancer:

A rare cancer that forms in tissues of the small intestine. The most common type is adenocaricnoma. Other types of small intestine cancer include sarcoma, carcinoid tumor, gastrointestinal stromal tumor, and lymphoma.

Stomach Cancer:

Cancer that forms in tissues lining the stomach. Also called gastric cancer.

Colorectal Cancer:

Cancer of the colon and rectum is one of the most common cancers. Women and men are affected equally.’

The development of colorectal cancer is thought to be related to our high –fat, lower fiber diet as well as to specific genetic factors. The incidence of colon cancer sharply in those 50, s periodic screening for this type of tumor should being at the age. Stanadrd seeking consiss of a physical examination by the pysiciain the digital rectal exam plus 3-4days test for occult blood in the stool, protoscophy is a directs sigmoid copy examines the rectum. The sigmoid colon, and sometimes the descending colon. Conversational treatment such surgery chemotherapy & radiation are used for fighting colon cancer as cancer on as many fronts front as possible.

Cancer of the Esophagus:

It is more common in men than women, and is more likely to occur as you get older; most people who develop esophageal cancer are over age60. Smoking cigarettes or using smokeless tobacco is one of the major risk factors for esophageal cancer. Chronic and / or heavy use of alcohol is another major risk factor for esophageal cancer. People who use both alcohol and tobacco have an especially high risk of esophageal cancer. Scientists believe that these substances increase each other’s harmful effects. Therapies used for treatment of esophagus cancer are following: surgery, high-dose Radiation brachytheraphy, intensity Modulated Radiation therapy, Fractioned-dose chemotherapy and/ or photodynamic therapy.

Stomach Cancer:

Diet may play a role in the formation of gastric tumors, but there is no conclusive proof of this. Scientists believe that eating foods that are preserved by drying, smoking, salting or pickling may play a role in the development of stomach cancer. On the other hand, fresh foods may protect against this disease. Because the stomach is a large and flexible organ, tumors arising from the stomach is a large and flexible organ, tumors arising from the stomach lining grow significantly, and may spread to the lymph nodes and liver before they are discovered; and because the symptoms of gastric tumor are similar to those of a peptic ulcer, there is no one symptom that indicates cancer of the stomach. Doctors working with you will determine the appropriate combination of therapies, for treating you, which may include the following: surgery, fractionated- Dose chemotherapy and / or biotherapy/ Immunotherapy.

Cancer of the liver:

Primary tumors, or hepatomas, arise from liver cells; and secondary or metastatic tumors spread to the liver from another part of the body. Liver cancer is more likely to appear in men as in women. Malignant tumors of the liver may produce no symptoms until the disease is far advanced. There is however, a strong association between chronic hepatitis B & C viral infections and the development of heptaocellular carcinoma. People with cirrhosis also have an increased risk of liver cancer. Doctors may use a combination of therapies, which may include: Intensity Modulated Radiation therapy, Intra-Arterial chemotherapy and/ or chemoembolizatuion for treatment.

Cancer of the pancreas:

Pancreatic cancer is one of the more common cancers, ranking just behind cancers of the lung, colon, and breast. It appears to be more frequent in people or diabetes, but it can occur in individual with none of those factors. It is less common in women than in men. Most cancer of the pancreas produces no symptoms until the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

V care information resources:

V care provides helping booklet about cancer their treatments and coping with these include chemotherapy radiation therapy and diet for cancer patients.

At any stage of disease, supportive care is available to relieve the side effects of treatment, and to ease emotional concerns. Further information you can meet with one our volunteers or call out troll free help line-